Human Initiative that Leads to Success or Failure
(Thanks to MSS for the principles involved in this entry) When we try to accomplish something in life through our initiative it may or may not succeed. Here are some of the subtle workings that affect the success of failure of any initiative. When the social atmosphere is positive with regard to an initiative, the atmosphere fosters success for the individual. When the atmosphere is negative, the individual's initiative will fail, unless he is able overcome the resistance of the atmosphere. '' (Example) In a community, there is a very positive feeling towards improving the education in the community. An individual begins an initiative to improve the quality of the courseware. On the surface she initially fails; yet the initiative is taken up by ''another person and succeeds with it. That is because there is a positive atmosphere in the community as it relates to education. (If there were a negative atmosphere toward education, the initiative would have failed all around.) (Example) (As indicated in the book The Three Musketeers) "Whatever the liberality of the day, the story takes place in an age when the belief in good is quite pervasive and religious issues dominate society. In fact, if one law seems to express throughout the story, it is the resistance to illicit love at higher levels of society. Buckingham's advances to Anne lead to his death. Constance's two attempts to unite with D'Artagnan are frustrated, the first by her arrest, the second by her death. Even Milady's passion for de Wardes is frustrated by D'Artagnan. Aramis returns to religion, not to his aristocratic lover. Only Porthos who seeks money, not love, and stoops to the level of the proprietress succeeds, and that too by marriage. There is no instance of illicit love prospering in the story." (MSS) Initiatives fail when taken outside one's field of influence, authority or control. (Example) A man tries to create a higher sense of moral authority in the community. The community has actually transcended his morality with an openness to new ideas that the individual cannot fathom. His initiative to bring about moral authority fails. Initiatives from lower levels of life do not have power for accomplishment at higher levels of life. (Example) A consultant was asked by his superiors to investigate the development of tool to allow for online student training evaluations. He worked on it for months without ever clarifying with his superior the pay he would receive as well as the timeframe on the project. He was too intimidated to make these clarifications. Ultimately the project failed completely, and the consultant wasted months of his time. (Example) X tries to influence Y's opinion about Z. X's efforts to influence Y's opinion of Z fail because X is stationed at a lower level of the social hierarchy than Y. It is the higher station that sets the standards for what is or is not acceptable or fashionable. On the other hand, initiatives by those in a higher plane of life (i.e. with greater wealth, status or power) toward those in a lower plane tend to be readily and richly fulfilled, provided the lower is a willing recipient and does not raise obstacles or resistance to receiving. This principle acts in the same manner as water flowing downhill. (Example) A manager of a training company wanted to have her instructors do training on a new software program. Many happily agreed to it, and received basic knowledge on the program from the training company. After a number of months the training by the instructors went very well for the training company's clients, and even led to additional profitable training on related new products. Initiatives may receive unexpected support from life when they are aligned with new movements in life that are gaining momentum. On the other hand, initiatives may meet with unexpected resistance when they are aligned with movements that are passing out of existence. (Example) X's efforts to marry her daughter Y to Z for social purposes meet with resistance and ultimately fail. X seeks to capitalize on the mutual pledge of her sister and herself that their children should marry, a practice whose value is passing out of existence. The light in Y's eyes that X feels is enough to overcome the best-laid plans of the older generation to perpetuate itself in the old style. (Example) A man tries to create a higher sense of moral authority in the community. The community has actually transcended his morality with an openness to new ideas that the individual cannot fathom. His initiative to bring about moral authority fails. Initiatives succeed when taken with sufficient energy and capacity to reverse previous actions that failed as the result of an inappropriate attitude or behavior. (Example) A man tries to break up the marriage of his child, and succeeds for a time. After a change of heart, he decides that his decision was very foolish and he tries to patch things up. The success of his initiative to change will only occur if he has sufficient vigor to do so, and if he gains the agreement of the parties who were initially involved. These are some of the major forces at play that affect the success or failure of any initiative that a person takes in life. There are movements of life that are normally hidden from us, but are at play in the field of life. Category:Human Initiative Category:Character of Life Category:Accomplishment Category:Case Studies:Accomplishment